The Fall
by the mean spleen
Summary: The fall from grace of a powerful mutant.
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: All the marvel stuff belongs to marvel, oddly enough. Paradise Lost by John Milton belongs to someone whom I don't know either but it's a great book either way.

Author's Notes: Something sort of different for me. This thing is based on a thing I did as an idle threat to one of the other writers (you know who you are) for reasons best unknown. But I was so happy with that I decided to adapt it and make it into a full-fledged story as opposed to an incident. If you're reading this, Bandit, the focus has changed away from your friend to my friend, so don't spoil what's coming. Anyway after all that, I hope you like it. This is the 2nd version after I was told there was lots of those pesky speeeling and gramur type errors in the first. Hope I got most of the buggers. Keep it frosty.

He sucked in his breath as he made his way into the darkened room. He had come to dread these little reports. Good or bad, he was always met with the same stony silence. It was getting difficult to remember what the man sounded like. He stepped into the small pool of light that was allowed in from the doorway. It was the only illumination in the entire room. He couldn't see the man he spoke to, but he knew he was there none the less. He spoke softly, thinking he might not even disturb him.

"I've got the cooler in the main generator almost done. We should have power back to the rest of the place within the hour."

He waited a moment to see if there would be any instructions and when none came, he turned to leave.

"Have you ever read Paradise Lost?" a voice came from the darkest shadow.

He scrunched his shoulders immediately. The question having startled him a little as he expected to leave quietly, the way he usually did. As unsettling as a silent entry and exit was, it was preferable to one of Magneto's cryptic questions.

"No boss, I haven't." He replied in a tired voice, not bothering to add how reading the works of some dead blind guy was not high up on his list of priorities while growing up on the back streets of London.

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Sit a moment, let me tell you about it and see what you think."

Toad did as he was instructed without complaint. What was the point of complaining anyway? It's not like anyone would take any notice.

"John Milton wrote this, in your own land, back when the persecution of the time was what faith you practised. The principle groups were the Puritans and Calvinists. They both believed much the same thing but issues such as pre-determination and free will had rent them asunder."

"The poem principally tells of the fall of Adam and Eve, but the main protagonist of the work is Satan. Prior to his own fall from grace, he was known as Lucifer Morningstar. Lucifer is Latin for "light bearer". He commanded a host of angels, was the captain of the guard so to speak and one of the most powerful of God's angels. At some point, God summoned his entire host before him and told them how he had begot a son, equal in power to himself and that all of them should bow before him."

"In his pride, Lucifer could not bow, and instead convinced one third of his fellow angels to stand against God and his hosts. The battle waged for three days but the outcome was never in doubt. The rebel forces were cast out and fell for 9 days through chaos before landing in hell."

"When they existed as angels, the evidence of their power was the light they emitted. However, now in hell, the fallen angels were ranked according to the darkness they emanated, Lucifer, now called Satan, which is Hebrew for "enemy" or "adversary" was the darkest of all. He and his captains lamented on this, noting now how their own eminence was now merely a reflection of the angels above. How hell was merely the shadow that Heaven cast. For how can one tell darkness without light to measure it by?"

"The rebels held a meeting deciding on a course of action. Various factions argued for various schemes. They should stay their hand and hope for amnesty, they should rise up and wage war again or as Satan advocated, they should pervert God's new work, which he has created to replace the lost angels."

"The rebels of course agreed to this and Satan went to paradise to pollute what lies within. But he is only able to do this as God allows him. For although Satan plans to make evil out of God's work, God knows that he will make good out of Satan's evil."

"The rest of the story is pretty much contained within the bible." Magneto finished, his face still shrouded in darkness.

Toad stayed for a moment and thought about it. Though some part of him told him that he should know better, he asked a question that had occurred to him.

"So you think we're like the fallen angels then?"

He heard a gentle rustle as Magneto moved forward in his chair, allowing his own face to become bathed in shadows. Toad noted that his voice was slower now; less sure then when he had been relating the poem to him.

"In a way, yes. For were we not among the brightest of all mutants?"

The question hung for a moment. Toad wasn't too sure if he was referring to him. He should have known that Magneto was not.

"Xavier and I were once allied in cause, but then he asked me to bow down before them, the humans, who so spurn us. I could not, would not, and so now I rage against him and his."

"How far have we fallen, Mortimer? From being allies, I now play the role of enemy and adversary. For every motion we make, he counters and defeats us, strengthening his own hand, making good from out folly."

Toad had no answer. For him, the life that he had was the best he could hope to forge for himself. While Magneto was a mutant, he could still walk among those he hated and who hated him. Toad was as bound to the shadows of life as surely as those angels in hell were.

"I don't know boss, I don't know. But…I better get back to the cooler." Toad said as he turned to leave.

"Toad…thank you for listening."

"Sure boss."

Toad walked out of the dark room into the light and felt the weight lift from his shoulders as if the very darkness carried its own mass. He walked off towards the generator, his mind already wondering where he was going to get a fuse the right size.

He certainly didn't notice Mystique in the few shadows that were in this well lit area. Her eyes followed him as he walked, the venom contained within them, undeniable. She had listened to the entire exchange between her master and her "brother". Why had he confided in Toad? She doubted he could read, let alone comprehend the works of John Milton. It should have been her, she would have shown him how he was wrong, how Xavier was in fact the mere shadow, that he cast. 

This constant brooding on his part was starting to affect the others. She watched on helplessly as Sabretooth became more and more restless and impatient. Toad, who had as much patience as she had seen had on more then one occasion, ventured the notion about going out and doing a job without Eric's approval or even knowledge.

She had forbid it. She had reasoned that all he needed was time. Each set back he suffered however drove him further and further down, until it became days rather then hours before he formulated "policy". 

She believed she knew the cause of all this. Despite his claims, he had yet to resolve a major issue within himself. Could he take the lives of those that he had hoped to save? She remembered how he had stopped Sabretooth and Toad from finishing off two of Xavier's grunts at the train station.

Her hand went subconsciously to her stomach, as she lamented how he himself had not finished off Logan when he had the chance. When he had sent her with the duel purpose of getting Marie out of the academy and disabling Cerebro, he had told her how to disable the machine, but she had improvised and attempted to remove Xavier permanently perhaps to the detriment of the plan overall. 

Oh he had been willing to sacrifice the young girl, but that's what it would have been; a sacrifice. It wouldn't have been cold blooded, but a last resort to ensure his race's survival. 

The fact was he still clung to what little of his soul that time hadn't worn away. She knew that for the brotherhood to truly function, she would have to kill off the last remnants of it and to bring Eric totally into the dark, not the shadow wherein now he resided. 

She had noted he had not mentioned to Toad how in the poem Satan, knowing of his damnation decided that he would now find joy in evil, that his good was evil. If Eric saw himself as playing the part of Satan, he'd obviously not gotten comfortable with this element of the role yet. He would need to, she decided, both for him and her. 

With Toad finally gone, she now made her way to the entrance of his "study". She kept to the shadows subconsciously, as if the light would somehow burn her. 

She entered slowly, letting her eyes adjust. Even as they did, she could make out nothing of her master. 

He spoke from the darkness, his voice tired and weary.

"What do you think, Mystique?"

He knew that she had been listening.

Of course he did. Even in his brooding solitude, very little occurred on this island that he did not know about. She presumed that his ability to read bioelectric signatures must give him spatial awareness like that of a shark, which used the same bioelectric signatures to hunt for prey. 

Though she spoke softly, her strange voice carried in the darkened chamber.

"I think that the devil can quote scripture to suit himself." She said simply, giving no indication whether she was mocking his belief that he was now the devil.

He laughed none the less. It was an odd laugh, maybe because it was an honest one as opposed to the mocking one he used when belittling those around him. 

"That he can, that he can." He finally said.

She decided to act immediately, while the impetus was still with her. It gave her the daring to say things she would normally hide deep inside herself.

"Xavier is no god. He's a misguided fool who has not seen what we have seen, not experienced what we have. He preaches the high road because he fears to even look upon the low road. He will still be preaching when the humans come for him, his words falling on the bodies of all those he has betrayed when he stood back and watched."

She moved to stand behind him, her voice dropping to a whisper. 

"He has had the luxury of money and wealth to cushion him, but what did we have?"

She let the question sit for a moment before moving around to the other side of her "master".

"He has let his own nobility blind him and in doing so, he has snatched away a valuable asset his race could have used to survive. His own need to feel noble has outweighed the need of his people, your people."

She moved slowly back behind him.

"You lament that we now merely attempt to pervert this idyllic coexistence which he seeks to create, but you are mistaken. It is he who seeks to corrupt our own dream of a place we can call our own; free of eyes that see only defects. Every plan we execute, he thwarts with his X-Men, while he himself, resides safely in his fortress. He does not even have the courage of his own convictions, he lacks the very courage to come out and fight for what he believes in. He instead sends his surrogates to do that which he will not do himself."

"You on the other hand are out there every day forging a better future for us. Where would Toad be was he not here with you? Where would Sabretooth be? Where would I be were I not here with you?"

She draped her hands over his shoulders as she said this, adding a slightly husky edge to her voice. She could feel the stubble along his face, an indication of how undirected he had become. If he were not so angst ridden she wouldn't have even contemplated this, wouldn't have even come in the room.

"Do you believe that Xavier would have us? That he would teach us the error of his ways? He wouldn't. He'd lock us away, where our inhuman form would not frighten those that he seeks harmony with."

She brought her lips to his ear as she gently wove her spell.

"For us to be allowed to do this duty that fate has given us, that you have shown us, we must remove those that would thwart us, that would prevent us creating our own paradise, free of those that would judge us."

She pulled herself away from him roughly, cutting the connection between them.

"You have allowed yourself to falter upon rocks that he no longer contemplates. You have eroded your purpose with pity and allowed your strength to fade. You know what must be done and yet you sit in darkness hoping that the world around you will change to suit you. You have become like Xavier, a watcher from the sidelines. You know that this is wrong. You know what you must do…"

She felt the whole room shake as Eric rose unexpectantly. His anger was palpable in the small space between them.

"You dare?" His voice was pure steel. 

She fell to her knees before him, a pantomime played out in darkness.

"My lord, I…I only wish to serve you."

"Do you think me so blind that I cannot see your manipulations? Has you opinion of me so fallen that you think you could wrap me around your finger like you have so many others? I do know what must be done, but I damn us all if I do it. What kind of paradise do we create if the doorway is paved from the bodies of our enemies, our own brothers?"

She could feel the air tighten around her, his anger becoming a physical manifestation.

"You have obviously been giving this some thought as all these pretty words have been well researched."

"My lord, I would never…"

She heard the table fling itself against the doorway, cutting off all light to the room.

"Don't bother to lie, child. We know each other too well for that. Tell me what you mean to do."

In the total black of darkness, her voice small now from genuine fear, she told him. When she finished he slumped back down in his seat, his voice was now small. The table fell awkwardly in the doorway, no longer held in his magnetic thrall. 

"Has it truly come to this?" he asked himself more then Mystique.

She stayed on the ground, almost afraid to move.

"Mystique…Do…Do what you must." His voice tapered off to silence at the end.

She rose slowly. She felt like going to him, but she knew that doing that now would jeopardise everything. Though she had not expected his sudden outburst; it had still served to get him where she wanted him, to allow her plan to go ahead. Soon his hands would be dashed in the blood of innocents and there would be no going back. She left without a word.

He watched her go. He knew implicitly what her plan meant. She was right when she said he knew what must be done. He had known all along but had searched for some other way, some middle ground. For people such as her, there was no middle ground and it seemed that this was now to become true of him. 

"And the boss gave this the go ahead?" Toad asked incredulously. "An hour earlier, the man wouldn't have been able to decide whether to drink tea or coffee."

Mystique glared at him. 

"I mean…you know what I mean. But this is great. Action at last."

Sabretooth grunted his agreement, already rubbing his claws in anticipation. 

"So which one of them is going to be the sacrificial lamb?" Toad asked, moving on to the first order of business.

Mystique looked him in the eye, her voice cold and confident.

"I have just the mutant."

Mystique watched him now as she watched him in the past. She had gone to him in many guises and had even stolen a word with him now and then. 

She had gone to him as a waitress and found him to be kind and generous. 

She had gone to him as a librarian and found him to be erudite and knowledgeable.

She had gone to him as a tease and found him to be a gentleman and uninterested.

She soon believed that she had discovered the reason for this. She watched the easy banter between the two youngsters and the little physical things that occurred between the two to suggest that maybe there was something deeper was there. They walked arm in arm by the pond idly throwing bits of bread to the ducks that swam about in blissful stupor.

It hadn't been hard for her to find out about the girl. Once she had the name she could find out anything she wanted about her. 

The girl's name was Katherine "Kitty" Pryde.

If the files that she had stolen were any indication, then she was exceptionally smart, well liked by all and a mutation that presented a nominal real time threat. On some level, this pleased Mystique. It amused her somewhat to think that this must be her long killed off maternal instinct rising from the grave. She had been led to believe that mother's were always highly critical of the women their beloved boys would bring home. Perhaps she was no different. Whatever the reason she took a dislike to young Mrs. Pryde for crimes real or imagined.

Shaken from her daydreaming, Mystique threw some bits of bread of her own into the water in front of her, a duck idly swimming directly towards the floating food.

"Lovely afternoon for it," Mystique said in the old man's voice, saluting the two young people.

Kurt Wagner smiled back and spoke gently, his accent already being eroded by his time in the states, "Yes sir, it is." Kitty smiled at the old man also. It's an easy smile, a carefree smile, one Mystique could never make in her own natural form.

She was pretty in a very American kind of way, Mystique concluded. It was almost going to be a shame. 

The two continued off in their slow circuit as Mystique rose and hobbled off, supporting herself on a black wooden walking stick, though there was an energy in the steps that somewhat revealed the sinister purpose behind the walker. 

The energy came from the fact it was almost time for the first sacrifice.

To be continued…


	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Marvel own everything.

Author's Notes: Part two. Two more parts (I reckon) to go. You'll have to excuse the quality of the first paragraph but writing romantic stuff just isn't my forte. You'll just have to believe that Kurt and Kitty like each other. Have faith. Toad uses bad words so you'll have to forgive him. That's it, I've really nothing at all interesting to say. Ignore grammar errors as I never read these things through (I'm just after writing them so reading them straight away is just painful) and beta readers are some mysterious species who disappear every time I'm in the room (Hint, hint).

"Well only one week to go 'til the big one eight." 

Kitty nudged Kurt gently in the ribs. Kurt took it stoically.

"And to think of all that you'll be legally able to do. You know that Bobby and John will have you going to the off licence every second day."

"I imagine that when I'll be of the legal age in this country, that all of a sudden the off licences will be nothing but welcoming to a blue demon." Kurt said somewhat sadly, the rigidity of his German accent being softened by the slight American twang he was developing.

Kitty heard his tone but refused to let him dwell on this topic, which was still a sore one for him. Though his friends were not hung up on how he looked, he still was.

"It's their loss. Anyway, what have you got planned for the big night?" 

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest. Bobby and John will railroad it anyway. They could turn a funeral into a festival."

"Sad, but true." Kitty concurred. 

They walked in silence for a while, simply content to be in each other's company. She watched a passing duck with interest and began to get reflective herself. 

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live like one of the ducks, Kurt?"

He looks at her in mock shock before simply shrugging his agreement. 

"Think of how easy they have it. Not a concern in the world. Every day they get people coming down to feed them."

"There's no Bobby duck." Kurt added cheekily.

"There's no Bobby duck." She concurred laughing.

"It's almost time. Don't mess up." 

And with that, Mystique left the other two to set up position.

Toad looked over his shoulder.

"It's almost time, don't mess up," he said in his version of an old crone's voice.

Sabretooth looked down at his partner in crime for a moment before returning to regard the bank of the lake, his every senses keenly devouring everything in the air around them. He could easily make out the now departed form of Mystique. To him, she registered as very fragrant, her system pumping out chemicals to make her seem more attractive. It must be something that aided her in her infiltrations. He believed that she didn't even know she did this. It was a purely subconscious thing, her body responding to her need to be easily liked when under cover. He never told her of this; instead he simply enjoyed her without her ever knowing.

Due to their very close proximity he could also read Toad's emotions from his very sweat. For some reason best known to himself, Toad always got kind of nervous before doing a job. While actually doing whatever it was that he was supposed to be doing, he was the very model of professionalism, but always prior to it, he'd be excessively jumpy and indeed almost paranoid.

Sabretooth blocked these two out and concentrated on other things in the environment. He could hear the birds, their ignorant bliss, like cattle, made them easy prey. He blocked them out. Due to autumn's ascendancy, he needed to ignore the stench of decay from the fallen leaves and plants. 

Then he got it, that first trace of a perfume, carried some distance by the wind. It was still very faint, but it was getting stronger. It was the girl's. Though it was vaguely pleasant, she had nothing when compared with Mystique's natural attractors. But then again, maybe Mystique's were composed not so much to "smell" nice but instead flip a switch in the brain that made people more susceptible to her.

Sweeter even then Mystique however, was the stench of pure fear. It was an intoxicating thing for Sabretooth. The fight or flight response in people boosted their output of chemicals to obscene amounts. All of this registered to Sabretooth and he took it all in, savouring every delicate texture of fear and adrenaline, all different and somehow all the same. Soon he would taste the girl's fear. He would drink deeply.

His deep baritone almost trembling with anticipation, he told Toad.

"It's almost time."

"What? Have the two of you being going to classes in leadership cliché?" Toad asked, his nervous state adding to his agitation. First Mystique was acting all high and mighty because she was running the show. 

Magneto hadn't even come out to the briefing, which in itself was highly unusual. Mystique had believed herself an able deputy and had laid out what was to be done in minute detail. Seemed a lot of trouble for two teens. But then in the past, teens had given them nothing but trouble. That's probably why Magneto wasn't coming out. After his last "brush" with one of Xavier's teens, he'd been thrown in the lock up for an unplanned stay. 

As usual, they were being left in the dark as to exactly what the end goal of this little play was but that didn't bother Toad. It finally was a bit of action as he had put it. Mystique had been very insistent on what exactly he and Sabretooth were to do. Toad didn't bother asking questions about the job. They never answered anyway.

Sabretooth leaned down closer to him to get a better view of the walkway.

"Do you mind?" Toad asked indignantly.

Sabretooth immediately growled at him.

"Listen mate, I'm trying to get my head in the right place, you know, get my shit on and here you are, cramping me. Back off and give me some goddamn space."

Sabretooth looked at him as if he had gotten a bit madder in the last few minutes. Toad returned a look of exasperation and saw that an explanation was in order.

"Look at me, I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm worse then a schoolgirl on her first night out. But in a moment I'm going put on my headphones, turn the CD up real loud, I'm talking up to 11 here. I…am…going…to…get…my….shit…on. And when it's on, and I get that Jedi mind trance shit happening, you better back off 'cause I'll be the very epitome of badass."

Sabretooth concluded he had lost it as Toad in a very grand gesture, took his headphones out of his trench coat pocket like they were the most delicate things ever.

He saw Sabretooth watch him and stopped the procedure. Still holding the headphones in mid air, his face straight ahead, he spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"This is the most important part of the Jedi trance. This music speaks to the soul. We're going with some loud music today and none of that lame American crap. I'm talking The Clash and The Stranglers, proper rebel music. When I put these headphones on, I'm a different man."

He couldn't tell whether Sabretooth was smiling or not. Didn't matter. All that mattered was the music and the trance. He put the earphones carefully over his ears. He reached into his pocket and put the volume on full, went into a Bruce Lee pose and his eyes gained focus.

"I am ready."

Sabretooth simply snorted but Toad didn't hear him. The perfume on the air told him they were close and he turned his attention back to the walkway. He could see them now. He watched carefully, studying their stride and mannerisms for what type of opponent to expect. He saw Mystique in disguise approach from the opposite side.

It was time.

Mystique made her way slowly around the edge of the lake. She had timed her approach to the second. She could see the young couple approaching slowly, the laughter audible at this distance. She picked up the pace a small bit as they were moving a little faster then she had anticipated. 

She approached steadily, now able to pick out a few words here and there. She blocked them out and concentrated on keeping up the awkward walk, staying hunched over. She let the small needle slide into her free hand and cradled it gently.

They were close enough. She jammed the cane into a crack in the pavement, lost her balance, stumbled and fell over. 

She could hear the two concerned and good-natured kids predictably coming to her aid. She got the needle ready. She knew that Toad would be getting ready at this very moment to fling himself from he was now to land almost on top of them. 

"Herr, are you okay," came that voice.

The light flickered on the table, a lone beacon in a sea of black. It had been flickering for some time now. He finally leaned over and pressed the button.

Mystiques voice filled the room, somehow sounding so appropriate for the darkness. 

"Master, it is done."

An expectant silence filled the room. He knew she was waiting to be congratulated. Eric had none to give her. This plan of hers disgusted him to his very core. He flicked the switch, killing the connection. 

He returned to regarding the darkness. He had been struggling with the idea of warning them. Of warning his enemies and betraying his own brothers. But then what? 

Mystique's plan had left no room for leeway. It was simply all or nothing. Now she had set events in motion there was really only going to be one outcome and he knew that all the blood, friend's and foe's alike, would be on his hands. By not opposing her plan in its conception, he was as guilty as if it had been his plan instead of hers, though he knew that he could never come up with something so, immoral. 

He now knew she was prepared to do anything to see it through, her relentless devotion to his vision having long since eroded any compassion she felt.

And now he knew that by letting events unfold, he was eroding his own as well.

"Helllllppppp"

The sharp yelp penetrated the dull darkness that shrouded Kurt's head.

"Please, can anyone hear me?" the voice continued.

He tried to open his eyes, tried to figure out what the hell was going on. 

He remembered. He had been walking in the park when the old man had fallen. He had gone to his aid and when he leaned down, the old man jabbed him in the arm with a needle. He had felt his legs begin to go as another form came crashing down on top of them. Them? Kitty!

Kitty had screamed as the form landed amongst them. His legs already weak, he yelled at her to run. She hesitated a moment and the guy who landed shot his long tongue out at her. It was Toad, one of Magneto's henchmen. It was a trap.

His tongue missed and Kitty turned and ran but ahead of her, another much larger man appeared. Logan had told us about this one, Sabretooth. She ran down and alley way and the big man gave chase. He couldn't watch anymore as his vision began to dim. He fell and he landed with his head looking into the sky above him. 

The old man appeared in his view, though only momentarily as he seemed to shudder and change into a blue female demon. Her own yellow eyes a mocking copy of his. She looked down at him with a pleased smile and reached down to rub the side of his face in an almost gentle fashion.

He blacked out then and remembers no more.

"P…Please, can anyone help me?" the voice pierced the shroud of darkness again. It was a woman's voice. Kitty? No. It wasn't Kitty. It was someone younger. He fought to open his eyes. 

From what he could tell, he was in a large warehouse of some kind. Illumination was provided by a number of lights hands oppressively from the metallic ceiling. He was bound securely in a chair, and as he moved his neck, the rope securing him chaffed it. Looking to his side, he saw the source of the screaming.

A girl, 15 maybe 16 was tied up in a chair next to him. She was still in her school uniform. Seeing him awake she was on the edge of hysterics. 

"Please, please don't hurt me."

She was obviously too afraid of him to notice that he too was not going anywhere soon. 

"Calm down, there's no need to be afraid."

A lie. There was every need to be afraid, just not of him.

"You can talk?" she said in amazement, obviously thinking that Kurt was some kind of animal given his appearance.

"Amongst other things. Yes."

He was tempted to look around again, give the girl some time to ingest all this, but the rope around his neck was too unforgiving for luxury movement.

"You're one of those mutants, aren't you?"

Wow, this girl was sharp.

"That's right. I'm a mutant, which would explain what I'm doing tied up. What's your story?" Kurt asked.

Before she had a chance to answer, a loud braying laughter echoed in one of the doors from the outside. It sounded like the English mutant, Toad.

The girl looked terrified. Her face had lost all its colour and she struggled against her binding subconsciously.

Almost as if she was in a trance, she started talking.

"I heard them talking when they brought you in. They said they needed a sacrifice. The small one was laughing at the big one for letting some cat, or something escape."

Kitty. Kitty had escaped from Sabretooth.

"I was walking home when this van pulled up and he jumped out and grabbed me. Oh my god they said they needed a sacrifice, I'm the sacrifice, oh my god, oh my god."

She broke down into hysterical blubbering. Kurt wanted to say something comforting but couldn't think of anything. He just spoke his thoughts out loud, hoping that any sound would comfort her.

"Listen. It wasn't a cat that escaped; it was my friend, Kitty. Now Kitty will go straight back to the place where we stay. There's a man there, the Professor, he will be able to find me no matter where I am. And when he does, he'll send my other friends. Now you make think that these people here are tough, but they've got nothing on Logan, Scott, Ororo and the others. Just you wait and see. All you've got to do is to keep it together until they come, and they will come."

The strength in his voice stirred her from her despair.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"These other people are mutants like you?"

"They are."

"And there are lots of you in this place?"

"There are. A lot of them are my age but we got some adults too."

"How did you all end up there?"

Kurt was glad to keep her talking. Her curiosity would suppress her fear.

"Well, with most of us, it's the case that our families don't know what to do with us. The truth is a lot of us don't know what to do with ourselves, to cut a long story short, we get shipped off to this place, the Xavier Academy for Gifted Youngsters. There the Professor teaches us how to come to terms with who and what we are, and how what we can do can benefit everyone, humans and mutants alike."

"What about you? Is that how you ended up there?"

Kurt would have shifted in his seat if he could have.

"Nein. I grew up in a monastery in Germany. I believe that when I was born, my appearance so frightened my parents that I was left there to be exorcised or some such. The priest took me in and gave me a good start in life, despite my appearance."

"So you never even knew your parents?"

"Nein. No I didn't."

"You must feel a lot of anger towards them."

"None. The mutant phenomenon wasn't as wide as it is now. And even if it was, there are few mutants as unique looking as me. The area the monastery was is what you would call a "backwater", very religious. I would have appeared as a demon to those simple folk, to my parents. Like so many they were simply afraid of what they didn't know. In some parts, the same is still true. I would be very petty indeed if I could not forgive them for simply not having courage in a place where none existed."

She seemed to regard him in a new light, no fear, at least of him, evident in her posture towards him.

"I go to a convent and that seems pretty harsh. A monastery must have been out of sight."

She smiled briefly at this.

"I cherish my time there, as I cherish my time here. The faith that those men have inspires me every day. They believe in something so profoundly that they need no proof, their heart tells them so and it is enough for them. It's rare to find that level of devotion to anything in this day and age."

She seemed uncomfortable with this topic. He looked at her inquisitively.

"You do not have some sort of faith?"

"I…No. Faith is a byword used by churches to fill their coffers. It is…never mind."

A silence grew between them. Another laugh, further away this time, obviously got her in the mood for talking again.

"Why do these guys want you so badly?"

"These mutants are in the employ of a mutant named Magneto. He believes that bloodshed between humans and mutants is inevitable and seeks to suppress them, you, before your kind suppress us."

"And you think otherwise?"

"Throughout history, different peoples have learned to see past what has made them different and instead see what makes them the same. Conflicts of race, creed, religion, gender, have all found a peaceful resolution. That's not to say there hasn't been blood spilt in these conflicts, there has, but in the end, peace finds a way. If one sets out, like Magneto does, to spill blood, then that is the best one will accomplish. But if one aims for peace, then what can be achieved is so much more." 

The girl sat silently for a moment, taking in what he had said. 

"Do you ever wish you could be, you know, normal? Have a normal life with a normal family?"

"In this day and age, show me a normal family?"

They both smiled. There was an element of truth to what he said.

"You know what I mean. With a mother and father and brother and sister and the family dog."

"I'm not too sure about the dog, but yes, I have thought about it. Sometimes it is all I can think about."

"If you know, met your family, what would you say to them now if you had the chance?"

"I would just hope that they are proud of me. Of what I have become." 

The girl looked down at the ground in front of her. 

"I'm…I'm sure that they would be very proud of you." 

The silence returned for a while. Her voice was deeper, less girlish.

"I lied before, when I said I had no faith. I have faith. It gives me the strength to do things that other people would hide away from. Would be fearful of even."

Kurt watched in cold horror as she started to shift, her pale skin turning dark blue and her long blonde hair shortening into a deep orange.

"In some people's eyes what I have done is reprehensible. What I will do is reprehensible."

Mystique twisted slightly and the loosely tied bonds came loose around her. She stood up and stretched luxuriously, much like a cat does after a nap.

"Why have you done this?" Kurt asked.

"Because I have faith, Kurt."

She reached under the chair and retrieved a long knife that had been stuck there. She looked at him with a strange look in her eye. It was strange because it was a look of profound sadness. Her voice reflected this.

"I…wish that it didn't have to be like this."

She turned her back to him and her voice regained its cold edge. 

"But much like those priests in that monastery, my devotion demands that I have no worldly distractions that would disrupt my course."

She kept her back to him as she continued.

"In ancient Greece, they believed that the most heinous of crimes was a blood crime. A father killing a son or vice versa. So despicable was this crime, that they created vengeful demons to exact judgement on the guilty. These demons had the form of women and they were called the Furies. They were unstoppable, even the gods were not exempt from their wrath."

"I wonder what Furies will come for me. Will it be in the form of a berserker with wicked claws, a man with crimson eye, a woman who is nature's surrogate? Who shall judge me?"

She turned to face him and she could hell that he knew. Knew who she was, what she was.

"I brought you into this world already condemned. It has taken me all this time to find the strength, the faith, to do what I could do that night. He has given me that strength and now I must give him my devotion"

She moved forward, lowering the blade.

"Goodbye, my son."

To be continued…


	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Marvel own everything.

Author's Notes: This is the penultimate part. I figure if I finish 1 out of 4 stories I start, that's good going, so I'm determined to see this one through. I have another part for the Bobby and John thing as well but I read it again and it's rubbish so that's dead now. Ah well, c'est la vie. I hope you like this anyway or at least can agree that it's not total rubbish. Keep it frosty, Cheers.

It was strange but there was something about this room he found very comforting, almost like a metallic womb. The chrome metal plates that encased it reflected his tired face back at his a thousand times, each a different angle, each telling a different story.

Of all the rooms in this place that he had made his home, this one had been the most lovingly crafted. Painstaking hours had been spent getting everything not just right, but perfect. However, now he didn't have time to reflect on the past but only on the present, for it seemed that the man with whom he had constructed this very room had come out of hiding for some very dire purpose indeed.

Kitty had returned to the academy screaming and crying. It had taken Jean quite a while to get her calm enough even to speak, and when she finally spoke, the calmness with which she related belied the terror that she felt. He had looked into her eyes and he saw the light that once shine brightly in them was now diminished, washed away with fear.

Once Scott heard the news he immediately launched into action. Logan and Ororo were sent back to the park to look for any trace or sign of Magneto's henchmen but everyone knew that it was unlikely they would find anything of any great value. He and Remy went and prepped the Blackbird knowing that they would no doubt need it. 

It wasn't long until Logan and Ororo reported back what they all suspected, that they would find nothing. Logan with that nose of his, however confirmed that Sabretooth had been there, his voice barely restrained over the intercom.

"His stench is everywhere, same with the blue bitch."

Knowing that the scent there was cold, Xavier knew immediately what he needed to do and so he found himself in Cerebro once again, a mutant's fate resting on his shoulders. He waited patiently as the machine went through its start up sequence, the short time now seeming like an eternity to him. Finally the ornate headpiece descended and he felt that cold familiar calm descend over him. He reached out past the metallic walls, past the grounds of the academy, further out still.

Distance and time became immaterial, as he found himself in the park with Ororo and Logan, their mutant energy patterns drawing him there instinctively. He ignored them and tried to focus on something else, something else familiar. He knew there was little point trying to focus on Eric, who would use his knowledge of Cerebro's inner workings to cloak himself from it. 

He had thought of seeking for Kurt himself but he maybe unconscious and so that would be a waste of time. No, he needed a different mind to track.

He remembered back to when they first encountered Logan and he felt himself twist and turn around Logan, all others blocked out. He thought of Marie next, who had been with Logan, and suddenly Logan disappeared as his mind reached out, searching for Marie's thoughts. He knew that she wasn't the key either. No, the key was the mutant that united Logan, Marie and his X-Men. He needed to find Sabretooth. 

His mind raced high above the city until it lay out in front of him like some dark carpet. He thought then of Sabretooth, a being almost the reverse of himself, a creature more attuned to his instincts then to logical thought. He began to move down into the city, buildings now becoming distinct. Sabretooth would be feeling energised now, so soon after hunting Kitty, and he tuned himself to this, the thrill of the hunt.

He found himself now in an industrial district and he knew he was close. A web of warehouses spread out before him. He needed more before breaking his bond with the machine. Where Sabretooth was, there was no doubt that there would be others. He let him mind scan broadly and he found himself drawn closer again, his mind coming to rest over a small number of medium size warehouses. They looked unused with no people around. The only sign of life was a black van sitting idle outside one. That's was where they were. 

Suddenly his passive scanning was overwhelmed, as a scream seemed to reach out and tried to crush him. It was a scream of pure primal pain. He knew instantly that it was Kurt and it was clearly evident that they were torturing him, aiming to prolong his pain. Though he could not focus on him, he could tell his energy was severely diminished. He was dying.

He quickly cleared his mind and began the disconnection procedure. The moment it finished, he clicked a button on the console. 

"Scott, I know where they are."

"We're ready here Professor," Scott answered immediately, his voice betraying his eagerness to be underway.

The Professor told him the location, which he would in turn relay to Logan and Ororo. He also told him how time was against him.

Toad read the display carefully. The energy spike was already beginning to diminish under his gaze.

"He's just finished his scan. You better tell her."

Sabretooth looked down at the smaller man, who had turned his attention back to the equipment, already beginning to dismantle it. Sabretooth made his way to the door where they had heard the boy scream on and off now for the past ten minutes. Mystique had told Toad and Sabretooth that she didn't wish to be disturbed until they were sure that Xavier had determined their location.

Magneto, who had intimate knowledge of how Xavier's scanning machinery worked, had, some time in the past, constructed a device that monitored subtle changes in the academy that indicated when a scan was taking place. He had boastingly called it an early warning device against potential intrusion by Xavier's inquiring mind. It served its purpose here for a different goal.

Sabretooth thought about barging straight in but even the animal knew better then that. He growled at the thin metal in front of him.

"They're coming."

The door almost immediately slid open and she emerged, pristine blue, a crimson covered blade in her hand. She didn't even look at him as she spoke, her eyes focused on some point in the distance. 

"Ravage the body. Make it messy."

"He's already dead?"

She looked at him, her eyes focusing on him like he was a complete stranger.

"You have your instructions. Move quickly, they'll be here soon."

He knew better then to question her, especially with that far away look in her eyes. She turned away from him and walked back to the room where Toad was.

He made his way into the main part of the warehouse, where the boy had been held. The stench of blood assaulted his senses even from here. He made his way over slowly, the animal in him commanding that he approach the prey carefully. The boy's body was slumped in the chair, his dark fur darker now with the blood that flowed down it. He head hung loosely forward. He was dead or unconscious, but either way he was never waking up. 

Sabretooth stood for a moment and tried to count the number of incisions and cuts that Mystique had made on the boy but gave up. He noticed one of the boy's fingers on the floor, resembling a little white island surrounded by a sea of red. She had made the boy suffer inhuman pain.

She had insisted that she be allowed to handle him alone, and the others had agreed though Sabretooth had wanted to play with him for a while. He would just have to make do with the cadaver and with that he growled and swung a claw in a vicious arch.

Mystique watched Toad as he finished packing the gear.

"All ready," he chirped, nervous under her unwavering gaze.

She nodded.

"Where's Harry of the Hendersons?"

She said nothing, just continued leaning against the door. 

Her silence still off-putting, Toad continued. "I've primed the van to go and most of the warehouse is rigged. It's going to make a mighty big boom." 

She didn't even acknowledge this, her thoughts on the snarls she could hear behind her. Toad noticed a slight shudder but said nothing. 

"I'm going down now. I don't want to be hear when this place goes up."

Mystique nodded and reached over and took a bag, some gear of her own, Toad noted. 

"Take Sabretooth and wait for my signal. Magneto shall be joining us soon and we must make sure everything is ready."

Toad nodded but inside his stomach turned ever so slightly. Something had changed in her in the past couple of months. She'd always been nasty, no question of that but now she was something else altogether.

"What are you waiting for?" She interrupted him.

"Sorry, just getting the route clear in my head. Don't want to get lost down there in the dark."

She frowned for a moment, not amused, before leaving Toad to get Sabretooth. 

Toad met Sabretooth halfway.

"All finished?"

Sabretooth nodded as he wiped his claws on his jacket, leaving lines of red trail down along the leather.

"We better make turtle tracks. Cruella's making her own way out."

Toad noted that Sabretooth frowned at this. He didn't like this either. Whatever they thought, there was no time to worry about that.

Aboard the Blackbird, Scott checked all the instruments, not for the first time.

"ETA three minutes. You ready." Scott said, not looking back at the other two.

"Remy was born ready." Remy said, though his voice was a little on edge.

Jean didn't answer, she was too busy checking to make sure she had everything in her medical bag. Xavier had warned them that Kurt was injured. Severely injured.

Scott flicked a switch, connecting them to Ororo's SUV. 

"We're three minutes away. What's your ETA?"

"Four, maybe five minutes," she answered, her voice on edge.

"We'll hold on the parameter for you. We go in together."

"Understood."

He killed the com link and concentrated on getting every last ounce of thrust out of their transport.

The incessant beeping summoned him to the console. He clicked the button and regarded the screen. His oldest friend's and greatest opponents face looked back at him. Wearing that helmet of his, his features seemed slightly exaggerated. The fact that Eric wore it at all, showed how much fate he had in Charles.

"Eric, what have you done?" Charles asked, traces of anger in his voice.

"Listen to me carefully," Eric replied, his voice calm, as a line of static made its way down the screen. 

"Mystique has…" He hesitated, looking down off screen as if seemingly weighing something up in his own mind. His features darkened.

"Mystique has booby-trapped the warehouse, the van too. Warn your people."

"Why are you telling me this?"

His features became angry.

"Does it matter why? Just save your own."

Charles read him as best he could, the quality of the transmission made even seeing him clearly difficult.

"This is not your plan is it?"

"No…it isn't.Very astute of you." 

There was a slight hint of annoyance in this, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared as he continued. 

"We need to meet, as soon as possible. She has…well let's just say, that it's a problem that is more suited to your talents then to mine."

"Where?"

"The old house in the Bronx?"

"I'll leave immediately."

"I'll see you soon, old friend." 

The connection was severed. So Eric was not behind this. Somewhere in his soul, Charles was thankful for this, still clinging to the hope that Eric could be saved. He let this thought go for the time being as he contacted Scott.

Scott acknowledged the details silently, before killing the communication with a simple "Understood."

Charles stopped before doing anything else. Perhaps he was being a little hasty in rushing off to meet Eric like this. But he's warning was made in good faith and he had seemed anxious. However, leaving his students at what was a precarious moment was not just unwise but dangerous. Perhaps Eric had felt the same in going behind his "brother's" back by contacting him.

No. If Eric had gone to the trouble of contacting him then it was with good reason. He left the sanctity of the control room and made his way into the academy. He could hear a number of the students comforting Kitty who was only just barely holding it together. Jean was doing her best also. She looked up briefly, her expression pained, as Charles entered the room. He said nothing as he watched for a moment.

He looked to the back of the room where some of the older students talked amongst themselves, unsure of what to say to comfort Kitty.

Charles looked at them before nodding at one of them, indicating to him to come over.

"John, you've got your licence?"

"Yes, Professor." John answered, his voice reverential.

"Good, come with me."

John fell into step behind Charles as he left the room as silently as he came.

"Sloppy." Logan said as he regarded the wire carefully.

"Remy agree, real sloppy." Remy said as he followed the length of wire carefully. It wasn't even live meaning there was no pulse going through it. It was a simple tripwire. Once a contact was broken due to the wire being stretched beyond a certain point, boom. But other then that it was simple to disarm. He removed small pliers from the depths of his jacket and got Logan to hold the wire tight at one point. 

"When Remy cut, you make sure nothing goes slack."

"Hold up." Scott advised from behind the two. "Let Storm finish her sweep."

They waited impatiently. Standing around was not one of their preferred modes of insertion.

Scott put his hand to his ear as Ororo's voice told him what he needed to know.

He made a scissors motion with his fingers and Remy nodded, eager to get started.

He delicately made the cut and Logan held tight to the two separate ends of the wire. 

Remy opened the door quietly and slipped inside as Logan stretched to hold the two ends. Remy quickly went to the contacts and jammed a piece of metal into them to keep the wire in place. Once done, he gave a little whistle to signal Logan, who dropped the wire immediately.

He snapped out his claws and made his way in, the stink of the brotherhood heavy in the air. He could also get the blood but he pushed that away as he concentrated. Scott came in next, leaving Storm outside, as her elemental powers would be as dangerous to them as to any opponents in an enclosed space.

Remy crept forward, staying in the shadows, with a more brazen Logan striding forward, daring anyone to show themselves drawing any potential fire that he knew Scott, who followed behind, could retaliate to. 

Remy looked over at Logan.

"They long gone. Remy guess they go down," he said as he pointed at a sewer access. 

Logan nodded, frustrated that yet again, they had moved on before he had gotten to them. Scott spoke from behind.

"Fan out. We'll make sure anyway."

The other two nodded as they split to explore two avenues. Remy made his way further in as Scott followed Logan to check out the sewer entrance.

"No doubt 'bout Summers, they went into the shit." Logan almost whispered.

"Logan, Scott. I think…I think you should see this." Remy's voice broke the eerie silence.

The two ran to the Cajun, who was bending over, trying to stop from being sick. 

"Oh my god, they gutted him." Scott said, his face echoing the sickness that Remy felt.

Still strapped securely to the chair, they looked at what remained of Kurt's ravaged body.

"Wait for me here." Charles said as the van ramp lowered.

John nodded, looking around, already trying to familiarise himself with these new surroundings. Apparently satisfied, Charles made his own way down the street, taking a turn out of John's field of view. 

It had been agreed a long time ago, when they had still been on the same side that it would be convenient to have a number of safe houses that only they would know about. This one was one such place. 

The path to the garage, which was underground, was all flat pavestone. He couldn't sense anyone inside but he knew Eric was already there, as all the settled dirt had recently been moved. He took a little black box from his pocket and pressed the single button, causing the garage door to open. 

The garage was large, able to comfortably house two or three cars. Another thing they had agreed on when choosing potential safe houses. No lights were on, but he could instantly pick Eric out in the darkness, a black shape, somehow blacker then the surroundings.

"I'm glad you came." Eric's voice called over to him.

"It sounded urgent." Charles said as he pressed the button to close the door behind him. The loud chain mechanism caused them both to stop talking until it finished.

Eric lit a solitary bulb in the garage to cast some illumination. 

"You have no idea how foolish you look." Charles almost laughed as he regarded Eric, who was wearing a perfectly decent suit but had topped it off with that helmet of his.

"I'm sorry if this offends you," Eric said as he walked past Charles to check that the door was securely closed, "but discretion is still the better part of valour."

"To meet like this and still not trust me is what offends me, Eric."

"How else could we meet? Perhaps in a plastic prison again?" Eric asked from behind him, leaning against the door, his voice rising slightly.

Charles didn't turn to face Eric, but just concentrated on the light.

"Please Eric, this is not why I'm here. You said that Mystique had, well you were unclear on the matter, really."

Eric seemed to ignore him and continued on his own rant.

"Did you enjoy visiting hour, I wonder?" Eric moved closer now as he spoke, the anger in his voice growing. "Did you have that smug look upon your face every time the guard wheeled you in?"

Charles turned to face Eric, concerned now.

"I bet you did. You were always so smug, so superior."

Charles tried to interrupt, but Eric just continued getting closer and closer.

"Since the first moment I heard the name Charles Xavier, I've hated it. I've hated you."

And with that he shot out a leg that caught Xavier just below the chin, square in the throat and knocked him out of his chair. Xavier landed heavily, fighting for breath before looking back at Eric who looked down at him with hate filled eyes. 

"It galls me to know that you will not suffer the way my own son suffered."

And suddenly Charles knew that he was not facing Eric Lensherr. 

"You were right that it was not his plan. I thought then, that you knew it was me that I had been uncovered, but no, your smug arrogance got in the way. No, he would never permit a move against you. He believes that you are what he must be measured against. He is wrong."

"For him to be strong, and we need him to be strong for all of us; there can be no Charles Xavier to cast his shadow over him. There can be no Charles Xavier to hold him back. There can only be Magneto."

With her eyes their natural yellow, she applied pressure to his neck, slowly crushing the life out of him. He struggled with his hands but she was too strong, and the struggle only made her push harder. She looked into his eyes as she spoke, watching them slowly gloss over.

"It's strange that for all the time I spend around him, I still can't play him properly. And for all his talk about you, I didn't know what to say to you. I had to restrain myself from spitting at you on the screen. But I knew I'd get my time with you."

She heard a snap but she still wasn't satisfied and maintained the pressure.

"It's important that you know before you die that I'm going to kill all of your precious students. It would be folly to let those who could seek vengeance live. I'm going to become you now and enter your home where I will wreck vengeance for all those you might have saved had you not stood by. I will wreck my vengeance for what you did to my son."

His body became limp under her foot but she still kept pressing down. After a minute she finally stepped back before reaching down to take his head in her arms and twist it roughly.

"This time, you will not come back from the coma." She finally spat.

John pressed the button to lower the ramp as he saw the Professor return. 

"All done Professor?"

"Yes. All done. Take me home."

To be continued…


End file.
